San E and Mad Clown: ‘Real Hip-Hop is About Being Honest'

The South Korean rappers discuss the difference between ‘idol’ and ‘underground’ artists, discovering Indian musicians and their upcoming U.S. tour

- Riddhi Chakraborty

“MAD CLOWN IS FROM the ghetto, he’s got a gun right now,” San E declares with a big grin on his face. His long-time friend and collaborator Mad Clown (who, contrary to his name, seems to be one of the most gentle souls on the planet) looks positively scandalized at the notion. They’re two of South Korea’s leading rappers but their playful banter makes it easy to forget just how senior they are in the industry. That one sentence pretty much sets the mood for the entire Skype conversation between Seoul and Mumbai: a barrage of jokes and bright laughter courtesy Jung San, who goes by the stage name San E, and shy, sometimes exasperated, smiles from Jo Dong-rim aka Mad Clown. There’s just two weeks before their first North American tour, a mammoth coast-to-coast affair which Mad Clown admits he’s excited, but nervous about. “I’ve never performed overseas before,” he says.

Although just in their early thirties, Mad Clown and San E have been in the music industry for the better part of a decade and were prominent figures in South Korea’s underground rap scene prior to that. Mad Clown hit mainstream success after the release of 2013’s “Stupid in Love,” a collaboration with K-pop group Sistar’s Soyou, while San E shot to fame after becoming the first solo rapper to sign with JYP Entertainment in 2010 (labelmates include K-pop acts like GOT7 and Twice.) The two have previously collaborated on several tracks including 2015’s “Sour Grapes” and “Lonely Animals” and have appeared on various hip-hop shows as judges, mentors and guests. They explain that their similar levels of experience positions in the market made it natural for them to pair up.